London Bridge Tower, which is also known as the Shard,
is a 72 storey mixed use tower located besides London Bridge
Station on the south bank of the river Thames.

The station, which combines train, bus and underground lines is
one of the busiest in London with 200,000 users per day. The
project is a response to the Mayor's policy of promoting high
density development at key transport nodes.

The form of the tower was determined by its prominence on the
London skyline. Unlike other cities such as New York or Hong
Kong, the Shard is not part of an existing cluster of high rise
buildings. References included the masts of ships docked in
the nearby Pool of London and Monet's paintings of the Houses of
Parliament.

The slender pyramidal form is suited to the variety of uses
proposed: large floor plates for offices at the bottom, public
areas and a hotel in the middle, apartments at the top. The
final public floors, levels 68-72, accommodate a viewing gallery
240m above street level. Above, the shards continue to 306
m. The mix of uses add vibrancy to the project: public access
was deemed particularly important for such a significant building
in London.

Eight glass shards define the shape and visual quality of the
tower. The passive double facade uses low-iron glass
throughout, with a mechanised roller blind in the cavity providing
solar shading. In the "fractures" between the shards opening
vents provide natural ventilation to winter gardens. These
can be used as meeting rooms or break-out spaces in the offices and
winter gardens on the residential floors. They provide a
vital link with the external environment often denied in
hermetically sealed buildings.

The main structural element is the slip formed concrete core in
the centre of the building. It houses the main service
risers, lifts and escape stairs. A total of 44 single and
double-deck lifts link the key functions with the various entrances
at street and station concourse level.

The project also includes the redevelopment of the train station
concourse and bus station. The existing roof is to be removed
and replaced with a glazed canopy, and retail units relocated to
open up visual connections between the train station, bus station
and taxi ranks. Two new 30m x 30m public squares will form
the centre of the scheme. Such improvements to the public
realm are vital to the regeneration of this congested and neglected
part of the city and will hopefully provide the catalyst to further
redevelopment in the area.